They sat on the hill
overlooking the warrior camp, studying their target. "Kongar
hasn't moved all day," Elthanael murmured, leaning closer to the
hybrid. She nodded, sniffing the hot winds that breezed past them.
Being in the desert made her want to fly and hunt, and forget all
about her duties to Lord Shalafae.
Kill first, then fly. It
was difficult for the woman to keep her mind focused as the sun beat
down on them. "But he's there. He's waiting for us."
Elthanael spat, caressing the
hilt of his sword. "We could just go in there."
"Tent's shielded. I
already tried to phase in, but this is the closest I could get."
"Explains why we're way
out here." He chuckled. "How 'bout you just light them all on
fire, and I'll get Kongar when he comes out. Then we get the hell out
of here before that Chaos storm arrives."
Morrigana slowly nodded her
head. A few centuries of partnership, yet it felt like they'd been
together forever. She was pleased to have someone she could trust to
watch her back; coming on assassination missions was well beneath her
father's notice.
"Dragonfire should
convince his mercenaries he's not worth protecting," she mused.
Kongar had stolen from her father, then attempted to hide.
Unfortunately for the petty thief, there were few places to hide from
the Shalafaes, and fewer swords-for-hire that would stand up against
them.
"And you get to fly,"
he said, patting her shoulder. "I'll wait until you've got them
good and frenzied."
Morrigana rose, stretching,
summoning power to her. She didn't care if anyone in camp felt her
transformation; none of them would be able to stop her. And they
would be unable to do anything once she was in dragon form without
special weapons; Kongar had unlikely paid for the kind of mercenaries
that had dragon slaying blades.
Chaos energy crackled through
her nerves, and she nudged with her mind, initiating the
transformation. Muscles and tendons creaked as they stretched, bones
shifted and grew, and her wings spread. In the span of heartbeats,
Morrigana was a large black dragon, silver markings gleaming under
the heavy sun. Trumpeting, she stretched her head out, warning her
prey she was coming. Launching into the air, Morri laughed to
herself.
She rose effortlessly, wings
pumping through hot air. This was what she'd wanted, what she needed.
This harsh desert was like her homeworld, full of volcanic fields and
jagged cliffs. Shalafae's court was currently held in a sandy desert,
all rolling dunes and sand storms.
Her scales absorbed the heat,
warming her blood, stirring her nerves. Taut wings caught a thermal,
and she soared, the world spread out below her. She was queen of the
sky, and none could defeat her. Not even the looming Chaos storm,
seething closer every moment, could stop her.
Morrigana growled to herself,
baring her teeth. This isn't the time for this.
Coming back to herself, she
dove toward the camp, wings tucked against her sides. Mercenaries
scurried below, and the half-dragon roared a challenge. Crossbows
were fired up at her, bouncing harmlessly off her scales. Arching her
back, Morrigana's dive leveled out, and she unleashed venom on the
camp. Sticky fluid shot from the glands in her cheeks, mixing,
igniting from the very friction of the air. Screams filled the camp,
and she laughed to herself.
Someone tried to use magic on
her, attempting to snag her out of the sky. Morrigana laughed again,
her shields devouring the spell, and turned for another strafe. Those
who'd survived the first attack decided they weren't getting paid
enough, and the fled by any means possible. Dimensional walls rippled
as Kongar was abandoned.
Fire roared as canvas and rope
were consumed, and Morri reveled in the sound. Landing before
Kongar's tent, her tail lashed up dirt and rocks, dust flying as she
folded her wings. Venom dripped from snarling lips, and she issued a
telepathic challenge.
~There's no skirt to hide
behind any longer!~
Kongar's presence oozed out
along with the corpulent man himself. Nearly as wide as he was tall,
he moved surprisingly fast. Morrigana tasted the magic he used to
keep his bulk from being a hassle, and she blew air out her nose in a
draconic laugh.
"Why are you here?"
he shouted, planting the haft of his axe in the sand. Magic pulsed from the weapon; it was enchanted to improve his fighting skills.
~You know why I'm here.~
She stretched her wings, keeping her head high. ~Lord Shalafae
does not appreciate your theft.~
"So he sent his little
bitch to kill me?" Kongar laughed, fat rolling with the motion.
"Pretty much,"
Elthanael answered, appearing behind the obese man. Kongar grunted,
eyes widening, as the elf drove his golden scimitar deep into the
fatty's back. Blood stained the man's lips, and the elf twisted the
blade.
Morri slipped back to her
natural form, approaching her cousin as he withdrew his scimitar.
"Fat bastard really thought he was better than us." The elf
laughed, shoving Kongar forward.
Their target remained standing,
and even started laughing. "You really thought that would kill
me?" He purposely echoed their phrasing, his question dripping derision. He turned, blood dribbling down his chin. "All this
padding is armor too, dolts."
Power surged around Kongar, and
the two assassins leapt away. Kongar's shields domed over them,
trapping them in the field of combat. Morrigana swore, drawing her
sword, the black metal singing for battle. Kongar lifted his axe, the
edge gleaming under the desert sun. Elthanael tried to circle around
the rotund fighter, waiting to strike.
"Shalafae can go fuck
himself," Kongar spat, watching his killers. "He doesn't
run the multiverse."
"He doesn't have to. You
stole what is his, and that puts you under his jurisdiction."
Morrigana circled him, watching as he swung his axe, threatening
the young woman. Kongar was waiting for something, but she didn't
know what.
The ground rumbled, and the
hybrid launched herself into the air. The fat man's shield kept her
from going too high, from transforming. Had she gotten higher, she'd
have escaped the lashing tendrils of barb wire that shot out of the
ground. Metal dug into bare flesh, and she snarled in pain, hovering.
Then she was yanked back to the
earth.
Where did Kongar get a war
elemental from? In no way should he be able to control one. But
the proof was in the barbs digging through her shields. Somehow, from
somewhere, the former bureaucrat had obtained a war elemental. A powerful creature spawned from all the worst and best parts of mass combat, forged in the passions and death of battle, they were less predictable and less controllable than even fire elementals.
Beneath her feet, the hard desert ground became muddy with bloody.
Bayonets stabbed at her, gouging but not piercing her armor. Voices
howled in the back of her head, crying for vengeance and her life. She felt the press of seething bodies, of dying men, as though entire legions clashed aroung her.
Elthanael battled Kongar,
trying to get past the axe. Morrigana tried to join him, but the
elemental held her in place. Halberds sprang up, piercing her wings,
shredding the patagia. Tearing at the weapons with her talons, the
hybrid fought for her freedom.
It will drown me in my own
blood, she realized, yanking a strand of barb wire from her side.
And Father will never forgive me for dying to an elemental.
All elementals owe our family allegiance.
Yet she couldn't reach its
consciousness. There was no presence to this elemental, no sentience, no matter how foreign. Whatever magic Kongar used to control the being had locked the mind away too far to sense. A flail bashed into her hip, and the young
woman winced, her concentration broken.
"You may not have a mind,
but you can still die." Grunting as she struggled against her
attacker, Morrigana drove her black sword deep into the ground.
DragonSoul screamed in delight, gorging on the energy of the
elemental, before channeling it to its mistress.
Morrigana gasped at the
onslaught of wild power. It had been decades since she'd fed upon
elemental power, and had forgotten the difference. Her heart raced,
and she quickly become lost in dreams of conquest and battle,
slaughter and desperation. It felt good, and she allowed her
consciousness to slip.
In her mind, she soared over
endless fields of soldiers. Different eras and different races
battled. Cries of pain and the clash of weapons rose to her ears, and
her heart thrilled. I am the ultimate war beast. All will die for
me. Morrigana unleashed a gout of flame, enveloping rank after
rank of fighter in fire. Their screams increased, and she laughed
triumphantly.
"Gana-tii!"
Elthanael's cry cut through her
communion. Gasping, the half-dragon found herself on her knees,
clasping the crossguard of her sword. Blood stained her scaly skin,
filled her mouth, and called her back to the war elemental. Most of
its power was gone, and it was trying to retreat.
Kongar clearly had no intention
of retreating. In the half-second it took her to become aware of her
surroundings, the fat thief had brought his axe to bear on her. The
massive blade sliced through the air, prepared to cleave her
skull.
The elf interposed himself
between Morrigana and the axe. She commanded the elemental to attack
Kongar, giving back the energy she had stolen, but there just wasn't
time. Axe smashed through golden blade, sinking deep into the elf's
shoulder. Shrapnel flew, blood splattered, and she screamed at her
cousin's impending demise.
Crimson mud surged as conjured
weapons burst toward Kongar. Morri released her sword, catching
Elthanael as he collapsed. Kongar shrieked in surprise as his pet
elemental attacked him. The hybrid didn't care, trusting that the
elemental would kill its former master. She focused on the elf,
surveying the damage done to him.
Dark blood welled from the
wedge-shaped wound. Elthanael's breathing was strained, his face
pale. Tears welled, blurring her vision. "No, no, no. I can't
lose you."
She poured energy into him, and
the elf suddenly smiled, weakly taking her hand. "He missed my
heart. I'll live, sweet jewel." He coughed, blood staining his
lips. "I'm glad I stopped him."
Her tears were almost
immediately dried up. "But you lost your sword."
"Nothing compared to what
your father would do if I let you die." Elthanael smiled again,
gaining strength as she healed him. "I can always get a new
sword."
Morrigana smiled, relieved that
he wasn't seriously hurt. Kongar continued screaming, and the
assassin glanced up at him. Free of control, the war elemental was
having its revenge. It would kill the rotund man, and finish their
job for them.
However, they were stuck. The
Chaos storm had finished encircling the solar system, disrupting the
flow of energy, making it impossible for her to open a portal through
the aether.
"We'd better find
shelter," Morrigana whispered, trying to reach her father to let
him know of their success.
"Anywhere you go, I'll
follow."
